What it Means to be a Friend
by Fangfairy
Summary: Evan and Patrice have sparked a romance, leaving Archie feeling like a third wheel. When Evan and Patrice realize his awkwardness, they try to set him up with the new girl, Kyra. Will Archie fall for her?  I don't own 13. It is property of JRB
1. Chapter 1

A/N- Sup guys? Long time no…post. I've been creeping some 13 fanfics, and have noticed a serious lack of Simon, Eddie, Richie, Malcolm, Molly, Cassie and Charlotte. I play Simon (Simone, since I'm a girl) and would like to see more of him and the other lesser- characters. So, yeah, they'll be in this story. This is my first 13 fanfic. Enjoy!

P.S. This will be in Archie's point of view unless stated otherwise.

God, I need a girlfriend. Evan and Patrice are the only people in this entire planet that will actually talk to me, and they're all lovey-dovey. It's disgusting. I don't know how much longer I can stand it. I mean, I can live with them holding hands and stuff. It's still incredibly awkward, but I'll live. But when they kiss? It's hard to keep my lunch down. It's like having your sister date your best friend. It's just… weird.

Because I'm a total loser with two friends, I get dragged along on all their dates. Do you have any idea how awkward it is when I reach for the popcorn, only to find them holding hands in it? They try to make me feel like I belong, but it's like I don't even exist. I'm such a third wheel.

Anyways, today I am being dragged on another date. We're going to see the Bloodmaster 2. Well, _I'm_ going to see it. Patrice and Evan will be smooching the whole time. I hate my life.

Patrice's mom came to pick me up. I staggered over to the van, and Evan helped me climb in. I put my crutches down in the gap between the two middle-row seats, and Patrice stepped over them on her way into the back. Again, I hate my life. It takes me 5 freaking minutes to get in a van.

"There's a new girl in my science class." Evan said after a few moments of awkwardness. Oh, perfect. Yet another attempt to set me up with a girl. They do this all the time. Every time Evan sees a breathing girl, he tries to do that.

"Oh, yeah! I was talking to her during Spanish. She sits between me and Richie. Kyra… Waterton, or something. She's nice." Patrice added. I rolled my eyes. Good Lord.

"Thanks guys, but I know what you're trying to do. And the answer is no." I sighed, annoyed.

"Oh, come on, Archie. We feel bad." Patrice coaxed, sounding very sympathetic as she held Evan's hand. Oh, spare me.

"Look, guys. I don't mind. Really! Besides, as if she'd ever like me anyways." I lied, trying to shut them up.

"Archie…" Patrice groaned at my bad lie.

"Who wants to talk about Star Wars!" I cried, flailing my arms up in the air, desperately trying to change the subject. Patrice glared at me, and Evan heaved a sigh.

"You'll come around." Evan smirked. I rolled my eyes.

"Guys, this is not a conversation I want to have in front of Patrice's mom, okay? Jesus." I said, and ended the conversation.

"Okay, people. File out." Patrice's mom said, pulling into a parking spot at the theatre. Evan hopped out with my crutches, ready to hold them out for me at the other side of the van. Patrice clambered out after him.

"Have fun, guys. I'll see you at 7:00." Patrice's mom said as Evan helped me out of the car. Once we were inside, she pulled away.

"Oh, yeah. Archie, there's a minor detail we forgot to fill you in on." Evan said slowly, as if he didn't know how to break the news. I knew that look. It was the same look my doctor gave my mom.

"What did you do?" I asked quickly, knowing they were going to try and beat around the bush.

"Um… we maybe possibly… invited Kyra?" Patrice grimaced sheepishly, not looking me in the eyes.

"You _what?"_ I cried, mortified. Crapcrapcrap. My friends suck. "I hate you."

"We know." Patrice grinned at me. Awesome. Freaking beautiful. Now I was stuck in a more awkward position than comprehendible. What was Kyra going to do once she saw me? I know I'm like, drop dead sexy and everything, but for some reason people didn't pick up on that right away. Yeah, right.

"One more thing." Evan piped up. I gawked at him, in disbelief of how awful my friends were.

"What fresh hell are you going to inflict on me now?" I said irritably.

"We aren't seeing the movie until 5:00." Patrice said as if she was confessing a crime.

"But its 3:00 right now… what did you do…" I said threateningly. Patrice looked like she was being interrogated by a cop.

"We're going to go for dinner first. At Boston Pizza." Evan admitted. My jaw dropped. I can't believe they were doing this to me.

"Oh my God. You guys are the worst, you know that?" I shook my head in disbelief. I really needed new friends. Maybe I'd call Simon or Eddie once this was over with…

"So you're coming, right?" Evan asked, a hint of a smirk on his face.

"No way in hell." I replied.

"Okay." Patrice shrugged.

"I'm serious." I added, raising my eyebrows.

"Yep. We know." Evan nodded.

"See you." I turned to limp away.

"Bye." Patrice gave a little wave. I sighed and looked back at them. They were standing with their arms crossed, as if they were waiting for something.

"You know I'm coming with you, don't you." I said with a very unimpressed expression.

"Absolutely." Patrice nodded.

"No doubt about it." Evan added.

"You guys really suck, you know that?" I glared, staggering back over to them.

"Of course." Patrice smiled, linking arms with me. We left the theatre and started down the street to the Boston Pizza. I really need a life.

A/N- Wasn't that just special? I love Archie so much. One of my best guy friends plays him in our production of 13, and when he and Brett kiss he licks his face. He also makes small talk with homeless men. This is why I love him. Anway, R&R and whatever else. Hope you liked it!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Chapter 2! I'm so bored right now! None of my friends are answering the phone! My friends suck! Whine, bitch, moan! Wow, I sound like Archie from chapter 1. LAWLAWLAWL! xD

We took a spot near the window. Evan sat beside me, so he was across from Patrice. . This was going to end badly. I could feel it. She would probably walk in and see my crutches, take off, and leave me more hurt than my last spinal cord surgery.

"Oh, here's Kyra!" Patrice said, all excited. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. My shoulders tensed.

"Hey, guys." A smooth voice said from behind me. I squinted as if someone had just got kicked in the crotch or something, and slowly turned my head.

Kyra had wavy blonde hair that flowed down to her mid-back. Her eyes were the colour of the sky, clear and bright. Her lips were a rosy pink. She had long, dangly, feather earrings that brushed on her shoulder. Her jeans were super skinny, with big holes torn out of the knees. She was wearing a white shirt that drooped off her right shoulder, so you could see her bra strap. Her neon orange converse matched her finger nails. She was hot, in an I-don't-try-too-hard sort of way. I gave her 30 seconds before she ditched me.

"Hey, Kyra. This is Archie." Patrice gestured to me. I blushed and waved sheepishly.

"Hi." She said sticking out her hand. I just looked at her, and she awkwardly pulled her hand away. Oh, my God. I am such a loser!

She sat down beside Patrice, and pulled out her phone. As she was looking at it, I gave Evan a distressed look. I was going to crash and burn.

"So, Kyra, who's your favourite singer?" Evan asked, trying to save my butt.

"Probably Mariana's Trench. Or the Beatles. Everyone likes the Beatles." She smiled at me.

"I love Mariana's Trench! What about Michael Jackson?" I asked, my nerves subsiding.

"Hell, yes! I cried for two days when he died!" Kyra said excitedly, slamming her arms down on the table.

"I didn't find out until four days after he died! I was in-" I stopped myself. I couldn't tell her I was in the hospital. She'd ask why, and I would have to tell her about my MS. I as actually enjoying myself, and she'd leave once she found out. I had to hold on to this a little while longer. "intense study mode. You know exams and all that." I fibbed.

"Oh, got 'cha." She nodded. I relaxed a bit.

We ordered, and talked some more. Kyra was really cool. I actually really liked her. Note to self: apologise to Evan and Patrice for being a dick.

As the waitress came with our food, she accidentally knocked her knee against one of my crutches, which were tucked under Patrice's sweater. I tried to grab it, but I missed. It fell to the floor with a steely clang.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie. Let me grab that for you." The waitress chirped in a Tennessee accent. I held out my arms and shook my head, but it was too late.

She immerged from under the table holding my crutches. Patrice kicked me under the table and Evan gave me a look that said _oh, crap_. The waitress handed me my crutches and smiled sweetly. I tried to smile back. Once she had left, I dropped my head onto the table and looked at Evan. He shrugged. Even the Brain didn't know how to unscrewify me.

"Um, what are those?" Kyra cocked one eyebrow and pointed to my crutches. I groaned, and sat up. Great. My first real date and my stupid MS blew it for me. Awesome.

"Crutches." I sighed. She nodded, urging me to tell her more. "My, erm, crutches." I cleared my throat. My life was over.

"Yeah, I got that. What happened?" She asked, putting her hand on top of mine. I sat up and slouched back against the booth.

"I've got Muscular Dystrophy. It's kind of… fatal." I sighed, giving her a sheepish half-smile.

"MS? Really?" She asked. I nodded. She was going to ditch me. I knew it. Great job, self. Really. You're the best. NOT.

"Yeah. It's kind of crappy, but you get used to it." I shrugged, prepping myself for her to blow me off.

"Can I, um, talk to you? Privately?" She asked, flicking her head towards the bathrooms. Oh, yippee.

"Sure." I said glumly. I swivelled my body so my legs swung off the bench, and grabbed my crutches. I limped along beside Kyra, looking sadly back at Evan and Patrice. Patrice looked like she was going to cry, her hands over her mouth. Evan gave me a sympathetic look.

Kyra walked me behind the corner to the bathrooms. I couldn't see Patrice and Evan anymore, and they surely couldn't see us.

"So you're terminal?" She asked seriously. I nodded, not really caring. Everyone dies at some point. I was just going to die sooner.

"Yeah. But I should last a while longer. It's not that bad yet. I may even have another 30 years ahead of me. I-" I said quickly, hoping to change her mind.

"Archie." She raised her eyebrows in a very why-do-you-think-I-care way.

"Yeah?" I asked, bracing myself. I clutched the handles on my crutches so tight, my knuckles went white. I looked into her eyes, knowing it would be the last chance I got.

"Shut up." She grinned. Then something amazing happened. Rather than stomping on my foot (as if I would feel it, anyway) or pulling my crutches out from under me, she leaned in and kissed me.

Right on the mouth. I opened my eyes wide in alarm. What the _hell_? What just happened? Was she actually _not_ going to ditch me? That's a first. Recovering from my shock, I slowly shut my eyes. She rested her hands on my shoulders, still kissing me. I felt like my stomach had leapt into my chest, kind of like when you're on a rollercoaster.

She pulled away, smiling at me. I just stood there like an idiot, gently touching my lips. Did that really just happen? The only other person to ever kiss me was Brett. And that wasn't on purpose, believe me.

I heard sniggering behind me, and whipped my head around. Evan and Patrice were standing there, spying on me. Patrice put her hands over her heart and put on a goofy that-was-so-cute face. Evan was making a kissy face at me. Then they both gave me thumbs up, and raced off. Kyra was giggling, and I felt my face grow hot.

"Real freaking mature, guys!" I screamed at them. I hobbled as fast as I could after them, Kyra beside me. When we found them, they were howling with laughter at our table.

I sat back down beside Evan and clonked him on my head with my crutch. He rubbed his head and flashed me the finger, which made Patrice laugh harder. Kyra started giggling, too, and eventually we were all having a full-out laugh-a-thon.

After pissing out pants laughing, receiving frustrated looks from Boston Pizza patrons, Kyra excused herself to the bathroom.

"Did you _see _that? Archie, you got kissed! By a girl!" Patrice squealed ecstatically. I gave her a what-the-hell face.

"No need to sound so surprised." I muttered, feeling half embarrassed and half insulted. Evan slapped me on the back. "Calm yourselves, people. It's not that big of a deal." I eased. Patrice and Evan both raised their eyebrows at me. "Okay, so it's kind of a big deal."

"You're so cute! My little Archie-kins is all grown up!" Patrice put one hand over her heart and used the other to brush away an imaginary tear. I hit her leg with one of my crutches under the table.

"Shut up." I said jokingly.

Kyra returned from the bathroom, and the waitress left the bill. Uh, hello? Earth to waitress? We're _13_. What makes you think we would pay? As she walked off, we got up and hurried for the door, pulling a classic eat-and-run.

As we ran across the street toward the movie theatre, I felt that there ma be some hope for me, after all. Maybe my life would, you know, actually _amount _to something? Hell, who even cares. I had finally kissed a girl.

A/N: Awwwwhhhhhhsss! Archie! You be so cute! :) R&R!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Chapter 3! Currently listening to the 13 soundtrack. "Get me what I Need" on repeat, mothers. 13 FOR THE WIN! There are 10 days until my opening night…:( aboo…. Anyways, enough of my whining. Read on!

We approached the entrance to the movie theatre panting and laughing. Evan, Patrice and Kyra collapsed at my feet, exhausted from sprinting across the street. Seeing no point in sitting, I just leaned on my crutches.

"Guys, I feel a bit bad for the waitress. Maybe we should go back…" Patrice started, but faded off when we all shot her a disbelieving look.

"Grow up, Patrice." I said with a smile. She stuck her tongue out at me. Oh, yeah. _That's_ mature.

"We've got… half an hour before the movie starts. I guess we're just stuck here, since we can't go back to the restaurant." Evan shrugged his shoulders, checking his watch.

"I might as well sit down, then." I sighed, shuffling over to the curb and handing Patrice my crutches. I fell right down on my butt. It hurt, but it's much quicker than lowering myself down.

"So, what do we do now?" Kyra sat beside me. Patrice and Evan sat on the other side of me. Oh, look at us. The saddest quartet in Appleton.

I sighed, and propped my arms up on my knees. I rested my chin in the palm of my left hand, and looked over at Kyra. She smiled back, and shoved her iPod headphone in my face. I took it.

As I put it in my ear, I was blasted with a burst of Mariana's Trench. I looked up at her. Hot _and_ a good taste in music? I'm in love!

She rested her head on my shoulder. I almost jumped out of my skin in shock. I felt the urge to pinch myself, to make sure I wasn't dreaming. This was the best day ever. In my life. _Ever._

Just as I was starting to feel good about myself, I heard sniggering from behind me. _Damn_! I was just about to turn around see what it was, when a large hand pressed down on the back of my head, causing me to hit my forehead on my knees.

"What the _hell_!" Evan cried, jumping to his feet. Patrice and Kyra whipped around. I didn't need to. I knew who it was.

"What are you doing here, Brett?" Patrice asked, venom in her tone. I grabbed my crutches and stood up.

It was Brett, all right. He was surrounded by his pack; Eddie, Malcolm and Lucy. Brett glared at Evan. Oh, God. Not again. Evan's fists were clenching and unclenching at his sides. He looked ready to kill. Unfortunately, Brett not only _looked_ ready to kill, he _was._

"Aw, Crip's got a girlfriend! You gunna kiss her, Crippie?" Eddie taunted. The gang laughed. I felt the balloon of hope deflate inside me. No matter how hard I tried, I was never going to be anything more than the cripple.

"Screw off, Brett." Evan growled. If he wasn't on my side, I would be scared of him.

"Oh, I'm _scared_! What're you going to do? Hit me with your crutch?" Brett teased. I felt as if I had shrunk a foot. I knew it was too good to last.

"I'm gunna-" Evan lunged at Brett, his fist balled up beside his head, ready to hit him. Patrice threw herself in front of him. She put one hand on his shoulder and the other around his fist.

"Stop, Evan. They're not worth it." Patrice said glumly. Evan pursed his lips, glared at Brett, and backed off.

"Look, hun. You're new, so we're going to cut you some slack. These guys are _losers_. Stay away from them. Come hang out with us." Lucy put on a pity-face and placed her hand gently on Kyra's shoulder. Here we go.

"You know what, Lucy? _Piss off_." Kyra said, mimicking Lucy's actions and tone. I couldn't help but grin. She really was different than the others. Lucy looked as if she'd just been slapped in the face. She grabbed Brett's arm for support.

Brett looked pissed. He looked around for a second, unsure of who to hit. He couldn't hit Kyra, because she was a girl and that would break some law, or something. Same thing with Patrice. The shock that would come of hitting Evan was over, since Brett had smoked him at DQ a few months ago. Which left me. Awesome.

Brett seemed to have realized this at the same time as me, and he swung. His aim is very precise. He hit me right in the mouth, and the force was so much that I fell backwards. I landed on the pavement, and my head cracked on the curb. I prayed to God that a car wouldn't drive past. I squeezed my eyes shut, as if that would numb out the pain.

I heard laughing, and the sounds of shoes hitting the ground fade away. Brett was gone. I felt relief flood over me.

"Archie!" Patrice's worried voice screamed. She sounded like she was crying. I wanted to sit up and tell her I was okay, but I couldn't. The best I could do was twitch my hand. Then I fell unconscious.

~x~

I woke up with a very antiseptic-y smell in my nose. I felt numb all over, and tried to open my eyes. The light was way too bright, but I only had a quick glimpse of it before it was blocked by three black blobs. I slowly blinked, and the blobs became more focussed.

"H-hey, guys." I said groggily. The worried faces of Patrice, Evan and Kyra faded to relief.

"Archie!" Patrice squealed, throwing her arms around my neck. I gave Evan a quizzical look. What happened?

"Archie, you've been out for the past 5 hours. You got a really bad concussion. Do you remember?" Evan asked carefully, as if he was talking to a four year old. Of course I remembered, but I wanted to have a bit of fun.

"Who's Archie?" I asked, trying to sound really serious. Patrice and Kyra gasped and Evan's eyes widened. I smiled, and Kyra swatted my limp leg.

"Don't do that! I've been worried sick!" She cried angrily. I held up my arms in a whoa-Nellie-hold-your-horses way.

"So, where exactly am I?" I asked, looking around. I recognized this room, but the vision was cloudy. After all, I had a millionth-degree concussion, or whatever.

"The hospital." Patrice said, stroking my hand. I tipped my head back in exasperation. Just freaking perfect. There was only one hospital in Appleton, and all the doctors here knew my name. And I knew all theirs. Kyra was going to think I was such a dork.

"What happened once I… passed out?" I asked, trying to fill in the gaps.

"Well, I screamed at you a lot. As Kyra and I were trying to bring you around, Evan took my phone and called 911. The ambulance was there in seconds. They put you on a gurney. The cement was covered in blood. They tried to hold us back. I almost died of worry. There were flashing lights. Your face was so pale and you weren't breathing. I thought you had… Anyways, Evan called your mom. She was in for a while, but she had to get home. We've been here the whole time." Patrice explained. My heart swelled. I know. Manly, right? I had the best friends in the world. I held my arms out for a group hug.

"What about Brett?" I asked, hoping he'd gotten arrested for nearly killing me.

"That's the weird part. He came in to visit. He actually looked really scared. Scared for you, not himself. He must've apologised to your mom 900 times. He cleared out about an hour ago." Evan said as if he didn't quite get it himself. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Brett actually had a _soul_? News to me.

"Well, then." I said. Why did Brett care? "What time is it?"

"9:30." Evan read off his watch. "But it doesn't really matter. You have to stay the night. The doctor said so."

"I'm gunna be so bored." I groaned.

"Arch, I don't think that's a possibility." Patrice smiled, pulling a handful of PJs out of a knapsack. She tossed a pair at Evan and Kyra.

"No way! You'll die of boredom." I shook my head disapprovingly. Patrice cocked her eyebrows in a shut-up-you-idiot-as-if-we'd-ever-listen-to-you fashion. I sighed in defeat. 3 against 1. I loose.

"We're staying. Get over it. Now, which movie do you like better? Batman or X-men?" Kyra grinned at me. I pointed to the Batman one. She tossed it to Evan, who put it in the DVD player on the small T.V. We were all asleep 10 minutes in.

A/N: Did you like it? It's a lot longer than the other chapters. I'm still listening to the 13 soundtrack. "Opportunity" just started. :)

I was picturing my friends the entire time. I got all creeped out because I was picturing all my friends from my show as Evan or Archie and everyone else and was playing the scene where Archie got knocked out in my head. Then I burst out laughing because they are so gorgeously retarded. I LOVE YOU GUYS! (AS if you'd ever read this, anyways)

R&R!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Chapter 4! Guess what. IMMA KILL ARCHIE OFF! Naw, just kidding. :-P Gotcha there, didn't I?

Archie: That… was just mean.

A/N: Shut up now.

I woke up to a splitting headache and a hospital room full of sleeping people. The main menu on the Batman movie was running over and over again. I rubbed my aching head. Stupid Brett. I felt the rough, pleated texture of a bandage. How long had that been there?

"Morning, Arch." Patrice said groggily from the floor beside my bed. She was hugging the blue stuffed bear I had bought her for her tenth birthday. Her hair looked as if she'd just crawled through a bush, or something.

"Morning, Bedhead." I smirked back. She threw the bear at me, which I gladly sat on. She pouted like a 3 year old. I chucked it back.

"Don't judge me." She scowled.

Just then, Kyra took a flying tackle onto the hospital bed, scaring the crap out of me.

"Boo!" She huffed, wide-eyed and awake. Her hair was a huge, tangled mop of a bun on top of her head.

"Hey." I grinned. I can't believe such a pretty girl was interested in me. I mean, Patrice is pretty and interested in me, but Kyra was _interested_ interested. There's a difference.

"Is Evan up?" Patrice asked, leaning backwards past Kyra to check. I rolled my eyes.

"Why? You guys gunna steal _second base_?" I wiggled my eyebrows, nudging Patrice in the ribs. She flashed me a shut-up-I-don't-care-if-you're-sick-I-will-throw-punch-you face. I backed off, as she was dead serious.

"What's that, Arch?" Evan asked, gathering himself from the floor.

"Nothing." I responded.

"Well, my back is killing me. Shall we blow this place?" Kyra suggested, stretching.

"Can Archie walk?" Evan asked, turning to me.

"Well, I may be able to hobble, but I haven't been able to walk for a while." I said sarcastically. Evan looked at me with an oh-shit face. I waved it off. I was used to it. Just like when you say to a blind person _look at that_.

Patrice collected my crutches from the floor. She held them out for me as I clumsily flopped out of the sheets and flung my legs over the side of the bed. I shifted my weight onto my crutches. My head spun, but I was used to it, because this was the way I always felt after surgery.

"Yeah, I'm good. I'll just text my mom and let her know I'm checking out. Where are we going to?" I stated, sitting back on the bed and pulling out my crappy little phone.

"My house?" Evan suggested. We all nodded in agreement. I finished texting my mom, and we headed for the elevator.

In the lobby, on the bench just beside the door, was just about the weirdest thing in the world. I knew I was probably being delusional, but this kid looked just like Brett. The girl beside him looked like Molly. I blinked a few times. They were still there. I jutted my bandaged head toward them, and everyone else followed me over.

"Uh, Brett?" I asked, unsure of if it was actually him or not. He looked up, and so did Kendra.

"Oh. Uh, hi, Archie. Look, I just wanted to say that I was sorry. I feel kinda bad about what happened. So, yeah. I just wanted to say I was sorry. And I'm glad you're okay." He mumbled. I wondered if Molly had made him do this, or if he did it to protect his image. Whatever. I didn't really care, anyway.

"Well, thanks." I said slowly, not really knowing how to react. After a few awkward moments, Brett and Molly left. I turned to face my friends, who all looked as clueless as I felt. I shrugged, and we let it go.

"Are you sure you don't want to head home, Arch? You've still got a concussion. Besides, your mom must want to see you." Kyra sounded concerned.

"When you're in and out of the hospital like I am, the novelty wears off. She doesn't mind." I informed her, as she was new to the whole 'sick kid' thing.

"Whatever you say. Let's bolt, peeps." Kyra jutted her thumb at the exit. We followed behind her. I gave the secretary a quick wave, so she knew I was leaving.

Evan's house was about a 15 minute walk from the hospital. As we strolled along, we talked more about last night. Kyra was very quiet the entire time.

"Did they hook up any machines?" I asked. Secretly, I was hoping they didn't. I hated having all those wires attached to me. It's a bit ironic, I know.

"Yeah. A heart monitor and that thing that pushes air into your lungs. It was awful." Patrice looked down at her shoes, obviously traumatized.

"Dang. It was that bad, huh?" I gaped, a bit shocked.

"Yep. You should've seen Patrice in the back of the ambulance. She was holding your hand the whole freaking time. Plus she was bawling like a baby." Evan smirked at Patrice as she turned red.

"You're like, my best friend. I really thought I was losing you this time." She grinned meekly at me. I nudged her.

"You really thought that after all those surgeries and all that suffering, I was going to let a bump on the head finish me off? No way in hell, Patrice." I said, hoping to cheer her up.

She slid her arm into mine, and the other into Evan's. Kyra put her arm through mine, too. We were like a chain.

We reached Evan's front door after about 10 more minutes. We all went in and parked ourselves in the living room, right in front of his TV. Naturally. Evan turned it to The Biggest Loser, and we all watched intently as fatties jiggled their ways across the screen.

"Oh, crap! I totally forgot to feed my cat!" Patrice sprang to her feet. "I'll just be a second. Arch, come with me." She helped me up and we headed for the door.

We walked slowly down the street, enjoying the fresh spring air. Patrice opened out her arms and did a happy little spin. I smiled with her.

"Uh, Patrice?" I called ahead. She turned around to face me and cocked her head to one side, letting me know she was listening. "Evan said you got really upset last night. How come?"

"Like I said, you're my best friend. For a long time, my only friend. You're like my brother. When I saw you fall… and all that blood… I really thought I had lost you. I mean, we've had lots of false alarms in the past, but this was just so gruesome." She had slowed down, so she was walking beside me. "You looked dead, Archie." She looked sadly into my eyes.

I've had near-death experiences thousands of times, and Patrice had always toughed it out and stayed positive. Why was she so shaken up?

"So what? I've looked dead tons of times. You never got so worked up before. Why now? And tell the truth." I questioned. She sighed, really not wanting to discuss this. Well, to bad for her.

"You really looked dead this time, Arch. Before, I always knew you'd pull through. I usually just have this feeling when I know you're fine. But this time…" She trailed off, shaking her head. "I just didn't know."

We were on her front porch now, and she pushed her hip against the door. It flung open. I sat in silence on the step, waiting for her. After a few minutes, she returned and we silently trudged back to Evan's.

A/N: Awww! Sorry if I made Patrice and Archie sound a bit lovey-dovey and/or sappy. It wasn't intended like that. It was just a serious talk between friends, mmkay? I don't know, it just sounds that way to me. THEY'RE JUST GOOD FRIENDS, OKAY! :)

R&R!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this may be the longest 13 fan fiction on this site. It is 5 chapters. That is very, very sad.

The next few days, I stayed at home, barfing my guts out and recovering. I hadn't really seen any of them that whole time, so about 5 days later, the 4 of us all met up back at Evan's. We watched some chick-flick about some lady who owned a crap load of dresses. I have no idea. It was on Demand, okay? Not that it mattered. Patrice and Evan didn't even watch. They were too busy sucking face. It was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen. That being said, I didn't have to watch for long. Kyra and I were kissing a lot, too. Not as long as Evan was, but it was something.

Despite almost painting the sidewalk with my brain, this had been a pretty successful few days. I had gotten to first base with a girl for the first time. That was something to share, considering we had only known each other for like, 2 days.

Kyra's older sister came to get her first. I walked her to the door, and she slipped me a sticky note. I clutched it in my hand until she had gotten into the car and her sister had driven away. I shut the front door, and flew back into the living room, where Evan and Patrice were chewing each other's faces off.

"Um, okay. _Ew_!" I grimaced. They pulled apart, and I unfolded the note. 498-3202. Her phone number. Holy. Freaking. Crap.

I stood there blinking at it for a long time. Oh my God. She had given me her number. My shock twisted into a wild grin.

"IN YOUR FACE!" I screamed at Evan, shoving the slip of paper in his face, cackling. He slowly lowered my arm, revealing a what-the-hell face.

"Why is that 'in my face'? I have a girlfriend." Evan said slowly, as if I would have a hard time comprehending this fact.

"Be supportive, Ev. That's really awesome, Archie! Good for you!" Patrice said proudly. She smiled sincerely at me. I smiled back, and took out my phone. I quickly entered her number.

"Thanks, Patrice." I said happily. To tell you the truth, it felt weird to be talking about this sort of thing with Patrice. She really was like a sister to me. It was kind of like your mom walking in on you when you're in the shower.

"Are you going to ask her out?" Evan asked. I looked at him quizzically. He sighed in a poor-dumb-Archie way. "Like on an actual date. Formally asking her to be your girlfriend?"

"Oh. Right. Uh, what should I do?" I said in a panicky voice. I had just assumed it went without saying. I'm so stupid.

"Call her." Evan said as if I was the dumbest kid in the world and he had to explain everything to me.

"Right." I nodded once and grabbed my phone and dialled her number.

"Hello?" Her voice sounded after 2 rings. Her voice sounded like an angel. I stood there with this stupid face on for a second, until Evan snapped his fingers in my face. I snapped back into it.

"Hi, Kyra. Do you… maybe possibly want to go out sometime?" I sped through the last sentence and squeezed my eyes together, as if I were preparing for impact.

"Sure! Does Friday night work for you?" Her heavenly voice said cheerfully. I actually dropped my jaw. Was it just me, or did she sound really excited? I excused myself to the kitchen.

"Oh, uh… yeah. Sure. Okay." I stammered, dumbfounded.

"Pick me up at 6:00?" She suggested happily.

"Yeah, okay." I agreed, gaping stupidly.

"See you Friday, then." She said. I could almost feel the smile in her voice. Why did she sound so excited? Is it possible that a living girl actually _like_ liked me?

"Yeah. Okay. Buh-bye." I managed to squeak out into the receiver. I clicked my phone shut. After a few moments, I realized I had a girlfriend. My first girlfriend!

"How'd it go?" Evan asked as I stumbled back into the living room.

"Friday at 6:00! I've got a date!" I shouted joyously.

"Oh my God! Archie!" Patrice squealed excitedly, springing to her feet and wrapping me in a tight hug. I pushed her forehead away from my chest. It sprung back like she was magnetized.

"Calm yourself, Patrice. You're suffocating me." I said, finally managing to pry her off. She grabbed my forearm and led me over to the couch. She sat down on Evan's lap, and I took a seat beside them.

"Way to go, man!" Evan slugged me on the arm. I shrugged and grinned at him.

"What can I say? I'm a slayer." I joked with a straight face. Evan, Patrice and I shared a second of silence and then burst into hysterics. We laughed until we felt like our sides were going to split.

"Oh, God, Archie! You're going to kill me!" Patrice shrieked with laughter, a tear rolling down her cheek. We rolled around laughing like hyenas for a good 5 minutes, pausing every minute or so, looking at each other, and bursting back into intense laughter. Eventually, our long, gut-busting laughter shortened to giggles, and from that to sniffles.

"So, Arch," Evan asked once we had all calmed down. "would you mind if Patrice and I tagged along on your date?"

"Like a double date? Yeah, that should be fun. I'll text Kyra and ask." I said, whipping out my phone.

_Hey. E&P want to come on fri. Is that ok?_ I typed. After a few seconds, she has replied. _Sure! No prob. See ya Friday! Xoxo, Kyra_. I smiled. I couldn't help it. I felt like I was walking- well, limping- on air. Evan raised his eyebrows in question.

"Yeah, it's all good." I stuck him a thumbs up. I couldn't believe this was actually happening. _Evan_ asking _me_ to tag along on a date? How did that work out?

Evan cursed under his breath, checking his watch. "I've got to get to church. Sorry, guys. My mom's meeting me there, and she'll be pissed if I'm late." He said irritably. He stood up and headed for the door. This was obviously a dismissal.

"That's okay, Ev. Archie can come over to my place. You can meet up with us there once you're done." Patrice said, smiling.

"Okay that should work. See you." Evan nodded, and we headed in opposite directions.

Patrice and I walked over to her house. As soon as she opened the door, her cat scampered over, rubbing his body against my shin. He was purring lightly. Patrice says he looks for me when I'm not there. It makes sense, considering I spend most of my time here.

"Hi, Shakespeare." I said quietly. Yes, Patrice named her cat Shakespeare. Sad, isn't it?

"Mom! Archie's here! Is that okay with you!" Patrice shouted at her mother.

"Yeah, that's fine. Hi, Archie." Patrice's mom called from the kitchen.

" Hey." I replied.

I stumbled over to the stairs, and Patrice ducked under my right arm, the one farthest from the railing. She basically carried me up the stairs, seeing as I can't walk on my own. Patrice handed me back my crutches, and we headed into her room. Don't get any ideas, we're just friends.

Patrice's room was small. She had pink walls with huge green spots all over it. Her closet doors were coated in pictures of her family, with a few of me and Evan. She had a bunk bed, but she only used the bottom bunk. The top one didn't even have a mattress, and she used it as a work area for homework and writing in her journal. There was a big pile of stuffed animals up there, too. We sat beside each other on her bed, and she flicked on the tiny radio she had on top of her dresser.

A Justin Bieber song started to play. Patrice pulled a face and flicked it off.

"I am so glad you're musical taste is so weird. I don't even want to think about having to put up with a Bieber fan." I shuddered in disgust at the thought. Patrice laughed.

"Remember when I had to tell my mom you were gay so she'd let you come upstairs?" Patrice reminisced. I glared at her, but with a smile.

"Yeah, thanks for that." I said, thinking back to when her mom overheard me venting to Patrice about my huge crush on Kendra. She came in and said 'I thought you were gay!' Patrice hadn't told me about her fib, and it led to a confused Archie and an annoyed mother.

We talked like this for a while, thinking back to when things were solid. Not that I didn't like Evan, he was a great guy, but I did really miss these moments. It used to be very certain- Archie and Patrice, Patrice and Archie. The crip and the geek. The dream team. Once Evan came, it was like someone had thrown a pebble in a calm pond. Everything changed. I really do like having Evan around; he's like, my best guy friend. But I miss the old days. You know what I mean?

A/N: I really liked this chapter, especially the end. I really love the closeness and security between Archie and Patrice. They have one of those rare friendships where you know you're going to be friends for life. They never seem to fight or argue. The two of them are also my favourite characters.

R&R!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Okay, people. I think I said MS before when referring to Archie's disability. It was a typo, and should say MD. Sorry, I type really fast and the keys are right beside each other. I'll edit it, but I just figured I should put this to avoid confusion.

When Evan showed up at Patrice's, we went into the basement. Patrice's mom knows right well that Evan is in no way gay (thanks again, Patrice), and he is strictly banned from her room. Talk about an over-protective parent.

"I've got stupid history first period next semester." Patrice said, flopping down on one of her multiple beanbag chairs.

"Me too. I hate Mr. Kerr. Who gives a crap about what happened like, 40 bazillion years ago?" I agreed, toppling into the blue beanbag beside her.

"Sucks to be you. I don't have history until next semester. Which means you guys-" Evan nudged my elbow. ", can give me all the answers."

"Uh, no way in hell, pal. You're on your own." I smirked at his naivety. He groaned and collapsed into the beanbag beside mine.

"I hate school. I wish summer would last forever." Patrice sulked. I'm sure we all did. I mean, who would want to go and be made fun of every day for an entire year?

"I just really don't want to face Brett again." Evan said, rolling onto his back.

"Maybe my mom would home school all of us." Patrice sighed, doubtful.

"Look, Ev, you don't need to keep getting into crap over me. I'm sure Patrice agrees. You've had the crap beaten out of you enough on my head. Besides, I don't want to owe you." I smirked at the last sentence, despite my seriousness.

"No offence, Arch, but the most you can do is smack them with a crutch. If someone says crap about you, I can't just let them do that as you stand helpless." Evan argued.

"C'mon, guys. Do we really need to argue?" Patrice interjected. We glanced at her, decided she was right, and dropped it.

"You're no fun." I smiled at Patrice.

"Who wants to go to Dairy Queen? I'll buy." I suggested. Evan and Patrice shrugged in agreement.

Once they helped me up the stairs (I won't bore you with details), we headed for DQ. It only took us about five minutes to get there, even with my slow pace. We approached the front doors, and a wave of panic washed over me. Dear God, please let Brett not be inside.

Sure enough, as we walked in, I felt the gaze of five people fall on me. Brett, Lucy, Eddie, Malcolm and Cassie were sitting around one of the 3 booths. Cassie had both hands intertwined in Eddie's. Since when?

"Just ignore them." Patrice muttered to me out of the corner of her mouth. I nodded discreetly.

We ordered our ice cream and sat in the booth furthest away from Brett and his gang. I felt their judgemental gaze on me, burning holes into the back of my head. Just as I was about to leave, the door swung open.

Standing there was Kyra. Her bouncy hair was tied into a sloppy bun on top of her head. She was wearing a neon green shirt that drooped off her left shoulder. Her denim short-shorts were torn up. She looked amazing.

"Archie! Hi!" She beamed, heading over to our table. Evan slid along to the end of the bench, giving her space to sit down.

Just before she was about to sit down, I saw her eyes glance toward Brett. Making sure he was watching, she leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. I heard Lucy's jaw drop.

Since Brett can't brag enough about dating Lucy, they decided to walk over, hand in hand. Oh, great.

"Kyra! What a surprise!" Lucy smiled falsely. Kyra rolled her eyes and went back to texting.

"What do you want, Lucy?" Patrice glared, looking scary. No, not scary. More like lethal.

"I'm just saying hi. Gosh." Lucy pulled a face. I seriously wanted to slap her. Patrice looked like she actually was going to.

"Let's just go, Arch." Patrice said sorrowfully. We all stood up to leave. Lucy had an excuse-me-what-do-you-think-you're-doing face on, and I knew the shit was going to hit the fan any second now.

"No need to be a bitch, Patrice." Lucy taunted. Evan shook his head slowly in anger. His face flushed, and it looked like he was going to hit someone.

"Evan, it's okay. Let's leave." Patrice put a soothing hand on his shoulder. He let a slow sigh out.

We stood up and headed for the door. As I was walking past Cassie, she whipped her hand down, knocking my crutches out from under me. I fell flat on the floor with a thud.

"Archie!" Kyra cried, dropping to her knees. She pulled me to my feet, handing me my crutches. Brett's gang were sniggering at me, and Kyra whipped around. Then, she did the unthinkable. She slapped Cassie right across the face.

Cassie looked stunned. She staggered backwards, her jaw agape. She clutched her face where Kyra had slapped her. Eddie lunged at Kyra, and Malcolm had to hold him back. Kyra looked just as shocked as everyone else at what she'd done. She burst out of the Dairy Queen door, closely followed by Patrice, Evan and I.

We hurried all the way back to my house, not wasting time to talk. We all rushed inside and locked the door before any of them could catch up and beat the crap out of us. Why is it always us?

We leaned against the door for a while, panting and sharing nervous glances.

"I'm so sorry." Kyra sighed in-between huffs. I shook my head, letting her know that it was cool.

I can't believe my girlfriend slapped one of the biggest bitches in school. I mean, it's Cassie! Kyra would be a social outcast in about 4 minutes. Why is Dairy Queen the most dramatic place in Appleton?

A/N: You like? I don't know what I think of this chapter. I guess it's kind of a filler chapter. You know, setting up for later? Yeah. Anyways, I hope it doesn't suck as bad as I think it does. R&R!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Okay, so hopefully the rest of the story won't be as fail as chapter 6, since I wrote up a plan of the unfolding of the story. Now, let's just pray it makes sense.

Once we had stood in silence for a few minutes and were sure that Brett wasn't going to kill us (today), we retreated to my basement. We have railings on each side of the stairs, so I could get down easier. On the staircase leading upstairs to the bedrooms, we have a chair lift thing, like what old people use when the stairs are too much effort.

"Why does this keep happening to me?" Evan collapsed onto the old white sofa we kept in the unfinished basement. I sat on the identical one across from him, and Kyra joined me. Patrice took a seat, naturally, beside Evan.

"Because you dare to be seen with people like us, that's why." Kyra smirked jokingly. Evan ignored her attempt at cheering him up.

"I should've never left New York." Evan groaned, letting his head roll back against the couch.

"I'm glad you did." Patrice rubbed his knee and kissed his cheek.

"In speaking of moving, you never told me where you came from." I said, nudging Kyra in the ribs.

"Oh. Well, it's kind of a long story." Kyra said sheepishly.

"I have time." I coaxed. She sighed.

"Okay, well, my mom and my dad split up when I was 5, and then my dad took custody of my little brother, Daniel, and mom moved us up to Brampton in Ontario. Then she met Brian, and they got married when I was 7. We moved back to the US, and Brian joined the army so we went to Nashville. Then, when I was 9, we got posted in Flint in Michigan. We only stayed there for a year, and then went to Phoenix. We thought we would be there for a while, but then…" Kyra stopped and took a deep breath.

"Yeah?" I urged her.

"…then Brian died. Mom was clinically depressed for a while, and we decided that it would be best for her if we got out of the house where… it happened. So that's why we moved here." Kyra said quietly and bluntly, a tear rolling down her cheek. I swiped it away.

"Look, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have made you do that." I apologized, putting my arm around her and pulling her against me. She sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"You can't tell anyone, okay?" She demanded. We let out a mix of 'Of course's and 'Sure's. She smiled weakly at us, and we gave reassuring grins back.

"Look, I know its hard moving around. I mean, I'm from _New York_, for God's sake. And I lost my dad, too. Well, he's in New York, but he's not here with me. But it's okay, 'cause I have amazing friends." Evan said, looking around. When he saw me he made an oh-yeah-I-totally-forgot face. "Oh, and Archie." He smirked. I glared at him.

"Shut up." I said mockingly.

"I love you, Evan." Patrice laughed, resting her head on his shoulder. Evan smiled at her, and they started making out. Right there in my basement.

"Get a room, you freaks." I said bluntly as I chucked one of mom's pillows at them. Embarrassed, they separated. Good. Freaking animals.

"Why do you two have to suck each other's faces off every time Patrice says something sweet and sappy?" Kyra smirked.

"Finally! Someone says it!" I said in mock joy, high fiving Kyra. Evan and Patrice gave me a seriously-you're-not-funny-just-shut-it face. I ignored it.

"So, who wants to watch shows about dumb teenagers?" Patrice offered up. "I'm thinking _16 and Pregnant_."

"Lucy got her own show?" Evan asked in mock-surprise. Patrice gave him an It's-true-but-you-didn't-need-to-say-it-out-loud face. He shrugged.

"So true." I said, shaking my head. Kyra slapped my arm.

"Don't be a jerk!" She giggled.

"It's a gift only few are born with. You should feel honoured I even talk to you people." I said sarcastically. Everyone laughed. 

"No, seriously. Put on MTV." Kyra said to Patrice in all seriousness. Patrice grabbed the remote and flicked on the TV.

"This is the stupidest show I've ever seen." Evan stated, throwing his arms in the air, as if he were surrendering.

"I know." I agreed. "Why are you making us watch this, Patrice?" I said dully.

"It's fun to make you feel awkward." Patrice shrugged, smiling sarcastically. I shot her a look. She raised her eyebrows daringly at me, as if she was challenging me.

"Seriously. Put on something worth my time." Evan said, reaching for the remote. Patrice snatched it away.

"No!" She teased, and sat on the remote. Well, there was no getting it back now.

"I hate you." I pouted childishly at her. She shrugged, her face saying 'It's not my problem'.

After about ten more minutes of torture, aka women's television, the phone rang. Evan and I looked at each other for a second, and we both simultaneously reached for the phone. I grabbed it first.

"HA!" I shrieked in Evan's face, jabbing my finger at him. He rolled his eyes and sat back in his seat.

"Hello?" I answered the phone, holding it in the crook of my neck as I grabbed my crutches and went into the hall.

"Archie? Archie, is that you?" A woman's scared voice said urgently.

"Yeah, this is Archie. Who is this?" I asked, confused.

"This is Mrs. Waterton. Is Kyra with you?" She said quickly, fear and urgency straining her voice.

"Yeah, why?" I replied, still very confused by her worried tone.

"Oh, thank God. Thank God in heaven." She sobbed, breaking down in tears. What the hell? Why was Kyra's mom freaking out like this?

"Mrs. Waterton? What's wrong?" I asked, feeling a bit worried. No, feeling a lot worried.

"There was a fire. I need you and Kyra to meet me at the hospital. Now." She said bluntly. I felt my jaw drop and my eyebrows shoot up in surprise. A fire?

"Sure. Yeah, absolutely. We'll be right there." I nodded, still feeling a bit shocked. The line went dead.

I stared down at the phone for a minute, not really comprehending what had just happened. In my surprise, I hadn't heard Kyra come up behind me. As I heard her shoes shuffle on the grey carpet, I whipped around and found her looking innocently into my eyes, a wide smile on her face. My heart pounded.

"What's up?" She asked sweetly, standing directly behind me and wrapping her arms around my neck. I took and deep breath and stepped away, turning to face her. Her cheerful expression faded to concern.

"What? What's wrong? Archie, answer me." She pleaded, putting her hand on top of mine, which was holding the handle on my crutch. I put my weight on one side and ran my other hand through my hair.

"Your mom called. There was a fire. We need to meet her at the hospital." I said glumly. A look of pure agony crossed her face. Kyra leaned into me, wrapping her arms around my neck, and sobbed into my shoulder.

A/N: Ooh, cliff-hanger, no? Not really because this is kind of a bad story… at least, I think it is. Maybe I'm too self-critical.

R&R!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: This story is just one tragic plot twist after another, isn't it? No, like legit. I write the most tragic stories! I don't know why, I just do. I promise nobody is going to die, okay?

Once Kyra had calmed down a little bit, we made our way to the hospital. It was about a 10 minute walk. Patrice and Evan went home, probably to let me do the whole comforting boyfriend thing. Really, I had no idea what was going on. I was used to being in the hospital myself, and I had no idea what it feels like to be on the other side.

"What happened? I mean, if you're okay and your mom's okay, then who else is there?" I asked, the previous conversation just coming back to me.

"My brother was visiting. Archie, we need to hurry." Kyra said, the urgency in her tone almost scaring me.

"Oh, shit. Okay, we'll cut through the cemetery." I nodded in understanding. No, this isn't going to be one of those lame stories where we get hunted by zombies or something. As awesome as that would be, it's just not reality.

We ran, (well, I kind of hobbled, but whatever) through the graveyard, not even looking at each other as we raced. We made it though the graveyard in about 2 minutes, as nobody in their right mind would come to Appleton on purpose, so there weren't many graves.

Soon enough, we were at the hospital. It felt really weird, not being in a panic. I mean, I was worried for Kyra's family, but usually I have this huge lump in my throat. Every time I come here, I'm terrified that the doctors are going to have bad news about my MD or tell me I'm going to die in a few months or tell me I have to have yet another surgery. I also sometimes feel this weird sense of hope, like maybe they're going to find me a better medication or my MD was really something else, something curable. I have to swallow that down. It's only going to get worse from here, and I just have to accept that.

Kyra put her hand over mine, and we walked simultaneously into the hospital. I felt a wave of fear strike me. What was wrong? Did Kyra's brother get burned? Did he die? Maybe he was fine, but they're just checking him out. Yeah, maybe that was it. Only time would tell.

"Kyra!" Mrs. Waterton waved, catching our attention. Kyra let go of my hand and ran into her mom's arms. I felt like I was going to barf. The suspense was killing me. Was this how everyone else felt when I had the concussion?

"Mom, what's wrong? Why are we here?" Kyra asked immediately, the speculation obviously getting to her, too. I stood about ten feet away, not wanting to invade, or whatever.

"It's Daniel. He's been burned really bad. I've been to visit him already. The doctor says he should wake up soon." Mrs. Waterton bit her knuckle, trying to hold back tears. My eyes widened.

"Is he burned for his entire life, or will he get better?" Kyra asked, tears forming in her eyes. She was trying to be strong, but sometimes you just can't hold it back. I've cried before, tons of times. Like last time they told me I needed spinal cord surgery.

"No. He'll get better, but the skin on his arms will be scar tissue. He got off really lucky." She shook her head. I was surprised at how well they seemed to be taking it. I would've been spazing out. I guess they've had a lot of bad crap in their lives. Maybe they just got tired of crying.

"Good." Kyra nodded once, turning to me. I gave her a supportive smile. She gave a sad one back. I hated the desperate look in her eyes.

"I've got to go call your father. You can go up and visit Dan if you want." Mrs. Waterton turned to leave. She gave me a nod, acknowledging me. I smiled back.

"What room is Daniel Waterton staying in?" Kyra asked the receptionist. She clicked a few things on her Mac computer.

"209. Archie knows where it is." She looked at me fondly, as if I were her son or nephew or something. I wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

"Thank you." Kyra said miserably, probably at the reminder that I spent a whole crap load of time here.

Kyra walked beside me as I lead the way to Daniel's room. The sad thing was, I knew exactly what room he was in. That was the room I was in the fourth time I had surgery. That time was on my knees, not that it matters now.

"In here." I said softly. I could see Kyra's hand shaking as she reached for the handle. Neither she nor I had any idea the level of disgustingness her brother's condition was. I felt a bit squeamish as I thought about it. I had been in the hospital loads of times, but I'd never had to witness open wounds like that. Usually, the doctors stitched me up and that was it.

"I'm scared." Kyra whispered, more to herself than me. I put my hand on top of hers, which was resting on the doorknob.

"Together. Ready?" I looked at her, and she nodded. I opened the door, and Kyra gasped in horror.

There was a young boy- probably about 8 or 9 years old- lying comatose in the hospital bed. His skin was pale and lifeless, and the only thing that made me believe he was even alive in the first place was the moderate rise and fall of his chest. His arms were wrapped in bandages up to his elbows, as were his legs up to his knees. An IV was tucked into one of the bandages. His blond hair was singed and blackened at the tips. His left eyebrow was burned clean off. The poor kid.

"Daniel…" Kyra whispered, her eyebrows rose in the middle of her face. Worry was replaced with remorse. She slowly approached his side. She knelt down beside him, seizing his hand between hers.

"Kyra, are you okay?" I asked, trying not to upset her teetering mental stability. She was seconds away from freaking out; I could see it in her eyes.

"Y-yeah. I'll be okay." She stuttered.

"Are you sure?" I asked again reassuringly.

Kyra shook her head 'no', and collapsed into tears. She slid her arms around me, locking her hands over the back of my shoulders. She bawled into my shoulder for ages. Not really knowing how to react, I rubbed circles on her back and said "Shh…" over and over again, which is what my mom would use to calm me down when I was a little kid.

"H-he's only 9 years old!" She wept into my shoulder. I held her tighter against me, desperately trying to mellow her out. She had finally lost her cool. I was wondering when it was going to happen. I mean, she cried a bit at my house, but that was before she knew about Daniel. Even then, she still kept control of herself. If I've learned one thing in my many years of friendship with Patrice, it's that rather that pounding the crap out of something, girls spill out all their inner problems when they loose it.

"Shh. It's okay. I'm here." I muttered soothingly in her ear. She sobbed more.

"Kyra?" A small voice mumbled. Kyra's eyes widened and she whipped around. "Kyra, please don't cry."

"Daniel!" Kyra screamed in exhilaration, rushing to his side. Doctors showed up almost immediately, running tests and checking vital signs. Daniel had woken up.

A/N: I hope this chapter doesn't suck, because I'm half asleep and it's exactly 1:10am. Oh, awesome. Please tell me if it's stupid, because I can edit it. R&R! This is the longest chapter so far, with 1400 words.

This is a pretty big announcement, so listen up! I've decided to do a sequel to this story, which will take place a currently undecided amount of years in the future. And, no, Archie will not die. Archie's to awesome, and I have declared him immortal. His disease will follow the correct time lines, just no dying.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I honestly have nothing to say here. GO 13!

, "Are you his family? If you're not, you need to leave." One of the nurses said to me once the rest of the doctors had cleared out. A newbie, obviously.

"Uh… um, yeah. Yeah, I'm his… stepbrother." I said, silently praying it would work. I couldn't go now.

"Okay." The nurse shrugged, heading off to do some other medical crap. I looked over at Kyra, the only other one in the room, besides Daniel. It had been a good 4 hours since Daniel had woken up, and Mrs. Waterton had asked Kyra and I to stay with Daniel while she tried to find them a new place to live.

"Do you remember anything, Danny?" Kyra asked him for the millionth time in the past hour.

"Geez, Kyra. Like I already said 40 times, all I remember was playing Call of Duty on the Xbox, hearing the smoke alarm, and running upstairs. Then I woke up here." He explained as if he were talking to a baby.

"Right. Sorry. I'm just kind of freaking out." She nodded, looking very trance-like. Daniel gave me a look and rolled his eyes.

"Okay, well, I'm going to sleep now. You two can go make out or whatever you do with your free time." Daniel smirked. Little brat. Kyra clenched her fist in his face, and he immediately shut up. Atta girl, Kyra.

"Let's go to the cafeteria, Ky. They have Arizona." I said, nudging her leg with my crutch.

"Alas, you've found my weakness." She said dramatically. She got to her feet and sauntered out after me. I was always a few steps ahead of Kyra on the whole way down to the cafeteria, as I practically live here and know my way around better than the dudes who built it.

We walked into the caf, and Kyra brushed closer against me. I didn't know why she had, but I liked it, so I didn't question her. We went up to the counter, and the woman smiled at me.

"How you doing, Archie? Did you just come out of surgery, or what?" The chubby, elderly woman chortled from behind the counter. I felt my face burn. Could she not see I was with a girl and didn't want to be embarrassed? God, stupid lady.

"No, actually, my girlfriend's brother got burned, and I'm waiting it out with her." I put extra emphasis on 'girlfriend', hoping she'd get the hint and shut her mouth. I even gestured to Kyra, who waved with a hey-you-jerk-how's-it-going face.

"Oh, well isn't that sweet." The old lady who seemed to know me ruffled my hair. She _ruffled_ it. Oh, my God, I was going to kill her. But it got worse. "Hey, Annie! Look at this, Archie's got himself a little lady friend!" She screeched at someone in the back room. Oh, holy Lord.

"Okay then, bye." I said quickly, grabbing out Arizona's off the counter and taking off for a table before 'Annie' could embarrass me further than her friend had.

"Don't. Even. Talk." I hissed at Kyra as we sat down at a table in the very back of the room. She burst into hysterical giggles. Oh, just perfect. Why do I have to be the hugest dork in Appleton? The old ladies at the hospital cafeteria were interested in my love life. How sad can you get?

"Awww! Wittle Archie-kin's got a gwirlfrwiend!" Kyra mimicked, making kissy-face at me. Damn it. My life is over.

"I _will_ pour my Arnold Palmer all over you, girlfriend or not, you do realize that, right?" I notified, hovering my Arizona up over her head. She squealed and put her hands over her head, but kept laughing.

"I'm glad you find my public humiliation amusing. Please, by all means. Laugh it up." I threw my hands up and waved them beside my head. Even my own girlfriend thought I was a total geek. Excellent.

"Sorry, Arch. It's just so funny!" She howled with laughter.

"Shut up or it's going down your shirt." I grinned, just waiting for her to dare me. I shook my Arizona from side to side, the drink inside sloshing around.

"You wouldn't." She narrowed her eyes at me, as if she were saying 'just try and do it'. I raised my eyebrows superiorly at her.

"Oh, but I would." I sneered, pulling the collar of her shirt out towards me and pouring my Arizona into her bra. Ha. Take _that_, maturity.

She gasped loudly, her mouth dropping open and her eyes widening in shock. Her arms were bent at the elbows; you know how girls do that? Like if someone pouted water on their head or something.

"You jerk!" She squealed, punching my shoulder. At first, I was afraid she was actually mad at me, but he smile told me she found it funny. That's what I really envied about Kyra. She wasn't afraid to laugh at herself.

"Well, you shouldn't have laughed at me. That'll teach you." I shrugged as if it was her fault and I had no way of fixing it.

"You suck, Archie Walker." She grinned, sticking her tongue out at me.

"Wha can I say? It's a gift." I smiled as if I were the greatest person in the world, which we all know, I am not.

"I love you." She pecked me on the lips, sending shock waves through my whole body. For a split second, I thought I was having a seizure, but no. It was just Kyra being amazing.

"I love you, too." I said, kissing her back.

"Archie, if you don't mind another petty girl freak out/ cry session, can you come with me? I want to go look at the damage. Hopefully some of my clothes were spared, because I don't want to attract bees." She looked accusingly at me, pulling at her shirt where a stain was forming from the Arizona.

"Sure, I will. We can stop by my house and throw your shirt in the washer, if you want. I can loan you one of my t-shirts in the meantime." I suggested, tossing my empty Arizona can in the trash.

"That sounds cool." She smiled, standing up and helping me out of my seat. I took my crutches from her, and we headed to the door.

We walked hand-in-crutch to my house. I dug around in my pocket for my house key and let myself in. I went to the kitchen and scribbled a note to my mom, telling her what had happened and where I went. Then I took Kyra upstairs.

"Welcome to my lair." I said, throwing the door to my subpar room open.

I had the bed in the far corner, right under the window. The dresser was on the opposite wall. Shelves above the dresser held my iPod dock and LP collection. My closet was right beside the door, and the TV and PS3 were directly to the left of that. The floor was light wood, I think pine. The walls were white with blue and yellow splotches of paint all over them. Mom and Dad let me paintball my room for my tenth birthday.

"Wow. I love the walls." Kyra said, sweeping her fingers over the paintball markings. I shrugged. I had gotten used to them.

"Its home." I shrugged. My room wasn't anything special.

"I love it. Aww! Is that our class?" She asked, her attention on the small framed picture of my first grade class, which was sitting on the shelf above the iPod.

"Yeah. That's Patrice, right there." I said, pointing at the small, cute little girl seated beside me, grinning brightly. We had our arms wrapped around each other in a tight hug. We had always been the best of friends.

"Aww, look at you two!" She gave me big puppy dog eyes. We were pretty cute, if I do say so myself. "

"Yeah. Everyone's in it. Brett, Simon, Eddie, Everyone." I told her. She looked at it for a few minutes, listing off who she thought everyone was.

"Why do you keep the one from first grade?" She asked after I'd told her who everyone was.

"Because that was the last year before I was diagnosed." I said bluntly, the pain of once being normal had numbed over time. It was just one of those things you get over, you know? Kind of like puberty. Only puberty won't kill you before you turn 40. Most of the time.

"Oh, Archie. I'm sorry." Kyra's eyes looked deeply sad. My heart ached. I honestly didn't even care that I had MD anymore. I was over the upset. I guess this was all pretty new to Kyra.

"It's fine. I don't even care. Let's just go check out your house." I shook my head in disregard. I'm sure Kyra thought I was one of those people who are forever hurting about it or something. But I wasn't. I had gotten used to it.

Well, we went to go check out Kyra's house. I'll spare you the heart-wrenching details, but let's just say many tears were shed. And no, none of Kyra's clothes survived. None of Kyra's anything survived, actually. It was just a black, charred heap of nothing in the middle of the street. As bad as I felt, one question still sent a chill down my spine. How close had Daniel really come to death?

A/N: You like? Sorry for not updating in a while, but I've been out and about with my 13 cast, even though the show was done a month ago. We're really tight. I'll try to update more frequently. Sorry about the wait! R&R!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Chapter 10? Whoa, this story is going good! It should only take about 2-5 more chapters to finish! Then I'll start on the sequel! I need some ideas for titles, and it needs to be a quote from 13, like the title of his story. Message me if you have any ideas!

We returned to the hospital in silence. Kyra looked dull and neutral. She had no expression on her face what-so-ever, and her eyes looked like one of those porcelain dolls that creep me out. No offence, Ky.

We sat in the waiting room in calm panic, like the calm before the storm. I remembered when I was diagnosed. Kyra's face had the same expression as my mom's did when she learned I was going to die before I turned 40. I was only a kid, so I thought 40 was a normal age to die at. To my surprise, it wasn't.

I remember what it was like when I found out I was actually going to die young. I was in grade 3, and we were talking about our family trees. Once we got to grandparents, Simon raised his hand. He asked if he could skip this part, because his grandmother died when she was 45 and he never met her. Our teacher said something about how that was a very young age to die at. My little world froze. I wasn't the smartest kid, but I could count. 45 was only 5 more years than the maximum age I could live to. I burst into tears and shuffled my braced legs out of that classroom and refused to go back for the rest of the day. They had to lure me back with ice cream.

"Kyra? Ky, are you okay?" I asked cautiously, hoping I wouldn't push her over the edge. I shuffled along the bench until my knees were up against hers. I put my arm gently over her shoulders and stroked her hair absent-mindedly. She rested her head on my shoulder. I used my other hand to hold her there.

"I'm s-so s-cared, Arch-ie!" She sniffled and gasped like people do when they're trying to calm themselves down. "Wh-where will w-e l-live? M-Mom does-n't have a ver-y good job. We won't be a-ble to pay f-for a h-hotel un-til our house is re-built. We'll ha've to mo-ve to a big-ger city!" She burst into hysterical sobs again.

"Shh… shh." I held her and rocked her back and forth, like I'd done for Patrice when Evan hurt her feelings last September. "Don't worry, babe. You're not going to move. If push comes to shove, you could stay in the guest room at my house and your mom could go rent an apartment in Indianapolis, or whatever. I swear, I will _not_ let you leave Appleton."

"Archie… thank you so much. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." She smiled weakly, despite the situation. Tears stained her cheeks, and I wiped them away. We sat still for a while, basking in each other's company.

Just as stuff was getting all Kodak moment-y, a very ditzy looking nurse rushed by where we were sitting. She spun in stupid circles for a second, and then noticed us. She looked right at me and put on that warm smile adults give when they have unpleasant news. Oh, shit.

"Are you Archie Walker? Nurse Katrina said he'd be here." She asked me in a very airy voice. Whoever's health was put into this girl's hands is probably cursing the Lord's name right now.

"Uh… yeah…?" I looked at her like she was stupid. I thought everyone knew who I was around here. Apparently not this chick, whoever she was. Nurse Natalie, according to her nametag.

"We actually just finished reviewing your medical records. Since you're here, would you like us to give you your monthly check-up? Doctor Clarke just finished his break, and he's free for the next few hours." She said, as if this was the most valuable information in the world and I should feel blessed to hear it.

"Do you want me to stay with you, Kyra?" I asked, hoping she would say yes. She gave me a slight smirk. Stupid bitch.

"No, it's okay. Go ahead. I'm going to go see Danny." She said, putting emphasis on the sweetness. She knows how much I hate check-ups. Nothing positive ever came out of them.

"Uh… okay, then." I said, grabbing my crutches and stumbled to my feet. As Nurse Natalie walked me to the doctor, I turned and stuck my tongue out at Kyra. She flashed me the bird in response.

Nurse Natalie said something about phoning my mom and hurried off, leaving me alone with Doctor Clarke.

"Hi, Doctor Clarke." I said, trying to sound enthusiastic. Doctor Clarke was about 50 years old. He has black hair with gray parts in it, and wore wireframe glasses. He looked smart, and he was. It was just too bad that he still thought I was about 9 years old.

"How are you, Archie?" He asked, as if my response meant everything in the world- the million dollar question. Which, of course, it wasn't.

"Fine." _Oh, you know. Body slowly deteriorating, slowly dying. Same old stuff._

"Okay, just hop up on the CT scanner." He smiled. Yeah, my appointments weren't the average open-wide-and-say-ahh check-ups. Mine were more okay-let's-see-if-you're-going-to-die-today based.

I sat down on the table and swung my legs over the side. I hurled my crutches across the room. They landed with a clatter on the tile floor. I put my legs in line and put my head in the little dip. I heard the machine roar to life, and I shut my eyes as I felt the table I was on slowly begin to move.

After a few minutes, the doctor said I could get up. He passed me my crutches and walked me over to his desk. He turned the computer screen on, and clicked a bunch of times as I sat there waiting.

"I'm sorry, Archie, but we're going to have to do another spinal cord surgery." The doctor said casually. He continued to say something about my spinal cord and my MD, but I wasn't listening.

His words kept echoing in my head. Spinal Cord Surgery. Just as I was starting to feel normal, for once in my life, just like I was just an average 13 year old kid. Just as my life was actually getting better than it was, this had to happen. Today was officially the single worst day of my entire life. Kyra's house burns down, and I have to have my second spinal cord surgery this year. It wasn't fair. Why does it always have to be me?

"Archie? Archie?" My mom repeating my name snapped me back into perspective. I hadn't even heard her come in. I looked up at her with a what-was-that face. I saw tears welling in her eyes. She was trying to be strong. She does it every time. It never works.

"Yeah?" I responded. What had she said?

"I've booked your surgery for Sunday. That gives us five days. Is that okay with you?" She said as if she were talking to a mentally unstable 3-year-old. This is the attitude my mom always took when she dealt with my medical stuff.

"Yeah. Sure." I replied, not really hearing what she had said.

"Alright. Thank you, Mrs. Walker. You're free to go." Doctor Clarke held open the door in a polite get-the-hell-out way.

"What were you doing at the hospital, anyways, Archie?" Mom asked, using her gentlest tone. _I am not 4, mother. I'm a big boy._ I wanted to say. I had forgotten that mom didn't know anything about Kyra's house.

"Oh, yeah. I need to talk to you about that. You see, Kyra's house burnt down. Her brother got burned, so I was staying with her while she visited with him. We went to see her house, and let's just say there's no house there. She can't sleep in the hospital, obviously, and her house is totally gone. Her mom is a Wal-Mart salesperson or something, and she'll have to rent an apartment in Indianapolis to work there until they find a new house." I explained. Mom raised her eyebrows, telling me to continue.

"So I was hoping that Kyra could stay in our guest room until she gets a new house. Just temporarily. Please, mom? I really don't want her to move away." I pleaded, hoping my recent surgery announcement would help my cause.

"I suppose that would be okay. Let me talk to her." She nodded slowly. I smiled and lead her to Kyra.

As we went around the corner, I found Kyra sitting on the bench where I left her, staring into space. As she saw me, she smiled. She darted over to me.

"Hey. How'd it go?" She pecked me on the cheek. I blushed crimson. She hadn't seen my mom. I cleared my throat, and she looked at my mom. Making the connection, she blushed, as well.

"I have to have spinal cord surgery. It's no big deal. My mom wanted to talk to us about you living in our guest room." I said through closed teeth, twitching my head at my mom.

"Oh. Um… hi, Mrs. Walker." She smiled her most innocent, sweet smile. I swear, that smile could make someone barf rainbows.

"Hi, Kyra. Archie tells me he'd like you to stay in our guest room?" My mom asked. Kyra and I nodded vigorously.

"Well, if it's okay with your mother, it's okay with me. There are just a few rules." Mom said, sounding really business-y and embarrassing.

"Oh, for sure. Lay 'em on me." Kyra said agreeably. Inside, I know she was thinking _Damn it. _

"You would have to be home by 10 every night, unless you have a special reason, like a concert, or whatever." Oh, good God.

"Second, you and Archie can't be in the same bedroom after 10 at night." Okay, first of all _ewwwwww _and second of all, if we were going to do any of _that_, we could just do it in the middle of the day. I don't think it makes a particular difference.

"Thirdly, don't worry about paying rent. This is just a favour." My mom smiled at Kyra, who was doing a great job of not looking totally weirded out. Yeah, mom. What's rule number 4? Just have fun?

"That's it. Just make sure it's okay with your mom. I'll meet you at home, Archie." Mom waved and strode away. Once she was out of earshot, we let out a sigh of relief.

"What does you mom think I am? A slut or something?" She smirked and let out a puff. I must've looked alarmed, because she added, "I'm kidding."

"Call your mom and see if she'll let you." I suggested, feeling anxiety over the whole thing begin to rise.

"I already did. While you were in your appointment thing." She winked. Always one step ahead. "She said it was fine."

"Perfect." I smiled, and we headed for the sliding doors. Kyra wore a smile the whole way to my house, happy that she had a place to live.

A/N: That was the longest chapter. 1894 words! Still short compared to some stories, but still pretty decent. I thought this chapter was cute, and I kind of love Archie's weird mom.

Also, if you need any character or plot background, I highly suggest the below site. It's my homepage, no big deal. R&R!

.com/wiki/13:_The_Musical_Wiki


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: This is chapter 11. I'm sorry for not updating chapter 10 for a long time, but I was working on the plot summary for the sequel. I need some good story names, people!

Kyra had been living in my house for the past four days. She'll be living here for a while, maybe even a few years. Mrs. Waterton has to wait to go find a job until after Daniel is well enough to go home, or rather to stay at Richie's house. Richie's little brother, Martin, and Daniel had apparently grown friendly in the short time Dan had been visiting.

Kyra as I sat on the edge of her bed, watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on my laptop. We got bored of watching Ty run around with his annoying megaphone, so we shut it off.

"Hey, Arch? I've been thinking, and I was wondering if your mom would let me paint the walls in here. No offence, but they aren't very stylish." She said, gesturing to the off-white walls.

It was true, this room was tragic. There was an oak dresser with a mirror beside the bed, which was a twin and had boring, pale blue and white striped sheets. The closet had round, silver knobs. The window was framed like a school classroom's windows, the kind you just slid up. They had old lady-ish white, silk curtains.

"Yeah, we should talk to her about that. This room is kind of really ugly." I replied, totally agreeing with her.

"It doesn't have to be right now. Maybe in a few months." She shrugged agreeably. I knew Kyra, and she'd have this place totally decked out in about two weeks. "Besides, your mom has enough to worry about."

"Like what?" I asked, not knowing exactly what stuff my mom had to worry about.

"Did you actually forget? Your surgery, you idiot!" She laughed at me, shoving my arm playfully. I had actually completely forgotten about that. Not that I was going to admit that to her.

"Oh, right." I said awkwardly. She relaxed her head on my shoulder and pouted jokingly up at me.

"Is my big, strong man scared of surgery?" She teased me, poking my ribs. I raised my eyebrows at her, as if I was asking if she was done.

"Uh, _yeah_. One wrong move and I'm paralysed for life. Plus it hurts like a bitch." I retorted, hoping to shut her up.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be there when you wake up. So will Patrice and Evan." She told me, as if that would make the surgery worthwhile.

"I know." I smiled in spite of myself.

~x~

The next morning, we all piled into my mom's car at 6:00am. We were groggy, so mom got Kyra a coffee at Starbucks. I wasn't allowed coffee before surgery, so I just tried to keep my heart from hammering the way it had been.

"Good morning, Archie." Doctor Clarke smiled, as if I should be excited to be here. In reality, I'd rather be anywhere else but.

"Hi. Let's get this over with." I said irritably. Well, you'd be cranky too if you had to wake up at 5:00am to go do something you hate more than anything.

"Alright. Come this way to the operation room." He said. I wanted to respond _Oh, yay. The _operation_ room. What fun._, but I kept my mouth shut.

Once we had got to the OR, the specialty team, or whatever they call them, poured in. They smiled big, stupid smiles as I went behind that blue thingy and got changed into that ugly hospital robe. They really must've thought I was stupid. I knew right well that once I was under they would strip me down naked, anyways. They would have to. Then they put it back on before they move me to recovery.

My heart was pounding as I hoisted myself onto the operating table. I flopped onto my back, so they could put me out. I watched helplessly as they pushed the oxygen mask thing towards my face. They would put knock-out gas in it, which would numb me and put me to sleep. I hate this part the most. I hate feeling so vulnerable.

The world went cold and blurry as I inhaled my first breath with the mask. Whatever they put in that thing is powerful stuff. I took a second breath, and everything went even more out of focus. I took my third breath, and everything went black. I barely felt the surgeons flip me onto my back, and I was out of it.

~x~

The next thing I knew, I was lying in a hospital bed, not unlike Daniel's. In fact, it was exactly like Daniel's. I was too weak to open my eyes yet, but I was gradually getting my sense of touch back. I felt a warm hand on my forehead, stroking my hair away from my face. I heard even beeping sounds, coming from the machine that was monitoring my heart rate. I smelt antiseptic crap. Gross.

When I finally felt sturdy enough to open my eyes, the lights sent a shock through my system. Everything looked too bright. I blinked a few times, and the heads and faces hovering above me came into focus.

I smiled very faintly at Patrice, Evan and Kyra, who were crowded around me. They were beaming down at me. It had been Patrice's hand that was on my face, and I warily reached up and grabbed it friendlily.

"Hi, guys." I said, my voice sounding hoarse and sand-papery.

"How do you feel, Archie?" Patrice asked slowly, knowing that I was still feeling lethargic. Evan and Kyra were just hugging and smiling. I was really happy Patrice came. I like having her with me when I'm in the hospital. She doesn't make a huge deal out of anything; she just acts like nothing's changed. Not that I don't like having Evan and Kyra here, but Patrice's carefree vibes were just what I needed after surgery.

"Alright. Really sore." I grimaced as I tried to shift positions. She exhaled a laugh. I grinned back at her.

"That sucks." She said, as if we were just talking about a broken arm, or something. I just love Patrice. I call her the brother I never had, which usually earns me a raspberry or a sharp glare.

"Yeah. Hey, Evan. Wanna get off my girlfriend?" I said jokingly, slapping Evan on the mid-back, which was the highest I could reach from my hospital bed.

"Aw, you're no fun." Kyra countered sarcastically, making a kissy face at Evan. He patted her on the head, as if she was a sad little retarded person. He was not wrong. 

"It's amazing how you can be such a jerk after such a huge surgery." Evan taunted. I shot him a glare.

"Shut up. I have the right to be miserable." I shot back.

"You're such a dickhead." Kyra smiled cheekily, lightly swatting my arm. I tried to strain a laugh, but an intense pain shot through my ribs. I winced, and everyone's faces went into oh-shit mode.

"Archie? Arch?" Kyra pressed her hand up against my forehead, smoothing my hair off my forehead. I wanted to swat her hand away, but I couldn't move my arm without it feeling like it would fall off.

"I'm… fine." I panted, the numbness in my body fading, and the real pain setting in. It didn't hurt this bad last time, but this surgery was more major, so I guess this is normal.

"What does it hurt like?" Patrice asked urgently. She knew just about everything about muscular dystrophy, probably more than I did. Google is a great thing.

"Pins and needles." Yeah, more like knives and daggers.

"Okay, just let me know if it gets any worse, and I'll call the doctors." She told me, as if the stupid doctor was my life line, or something. Well, he kind of was, but its not like doctors make all the worlds worries go away.

"Thanks, but I'll be fine." I reassured her. She gave me a we'll-see face, and I rolled my eyes. One of the too-smiley nurses appeared from behind the curtain.

"Hi, Archie. We've got you set for discharge tomorrow. Now, we can either send you home by ambulance, or your mom can just drive you home. The ambulance would be much more comfortable, but if you don't want to cause a scene…" The nurse said, acting like she was checking this stuff on their clipboard.

"I don't care. I guess I'll go with my mom." I would've shrugged, but my body ached too much to move.

"Alright, if you're sure." The nurse shrugged and pulled a face. I smiled a too-sweet smile, and she strutted off.

"Okay, Archie. We're going to get out of here. We'll be here tomorrow when you get out." Patrice grinned at me, and I returned it. I remember when we were in grade 5, and I had the hugest crush on Patrice. She was really pretty, but it was pretty clear she didn't like me like that, so I let it drop. It's funny how alike we are- we like the same movies, bands, books- we even have the same sense of humour. It was always a mystery to me why she and I didn't end up together. I guess it doesn't matter, since she has Evan and I have Kyra. No offence to Patrice, but I like Kyra more than I ever liked Patrice, in a more-than-friends way.

"Okay. See you guys later." I said, not really wanting them to leave. Kyra kissed me on the mouth but it was too short. It was like the kind of kiss parents do. The taste of her watermelon lip chap lingered on my lips.

~x~

The next morning, I felt a bit better, so they let me go home. A pair of nurses helped me into a wheelchair, which I'll have to be pushed around in for the next month or so. It sucks, plus I'll have it for my 14th birthday.

"Ready, Arch?" Mom asked as she got ready to lift me into the car. I groaned in response, letting my head roll back against my wheelchair. The pain in my body was unbearable, and all I wanted to do was go home, take a few million Tylenols and die.

"3, 2, 1." Mom said, lifting me into the car. I almost screamed, it hurt so badly. This was a million times worse than the first surgery.

"Owowowow_ow_!" I said quickly, sucking breath through my teeth. I heard Patrice and Kyra wince beside me, who had otherwise kept quiet all day.

"Okay, okay. You're okay." Mom whispered reassuringly. I took a deep breath, and she put me down onto my seat. I released the breath, and let my body collapse into the seat. Patrice, who was just to my left, gave me a reassuring smile and lightly rubbed my arm. Kyra, who was on the other side of Patrice, grabbed my knee and blew a kiss. On any other day, this would've been very comforting, but today it was just another shock through my nervous system.

"Drive slow." I told my mom. She smiled, almost sadly, and nodded. I just wanted to go home.

A/N: Okay, this is the longest chapter now. And I still need name suggestions. Seriously, if you want a sequel, I need you to recommend a name for the story. It has to be a quote from 13 that makes sense, i.e. it can't be something stupid like "Down the Road there's a Dairy Queen". R&R!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Name. Suggestions. Archie says so. So do it. NOW. Seriously, guys. This is the last chapter of this story, and I can't start posting the second one until it has a name.

Today was my 14th birthday. I was still in my wheelchair, but I was able to lift things and move my arms without any pain, so that was a huge step.

My mom was throwing a stupid party in our backyard for my birthday. Not that many people came, mostly because I don't know that many people. So it was pretty much Evan, Kyra, Patrice and I eating cake and talking. Which was fine by me. I wouldn't have invited anyone else, anyway.

The party was at 1:00 that afternoon, and my mom was out getting some snackage. Kyra still lived at my place, and she was helping a lot with the whole wheelchair thing. She was good about getting stuff I couldn't reach and supporting my mom, who was struggling with the whole thing. Kyra says its good practice for everyone, since one day I'll be in a wheelchair permanently.

"Kyra? I'm going in the bath, so don't come in, okay?" I called, as I struggled to undress while sitting down. That was the other thing. I couldn't take a shower, so I had to take a bath every day. Like a two year old. We had a tiled ledge I would normally sit on while I was showering, with two steel poles on both sides to help me stand. Now, I couldn't put any weight on my legs, not that they could tolerate a lot before. This meant I couldn't get myself onto the ledge, which means I have to bathe like a preschooler until further notice.

"Okay, I'm just getting dressed." She shouted in response.

I managed to get all my clothes off without tipping the chair over, which had happened a few times in the past. Now came the hard part. I had to wheel myself over to the tub, get myself in without getting the chair wet, and then somehow move the chair to a place that was still accessible, but waterproof. This was more effort than it was worth.

After my bath, I took about ten minutes to dry off, put my clothes on, and get myself back into the wheelchair. I hate that stupid thing. It's uncomfortable and ugly, and it just takes up space.

Kyra always got up and got ready before me, so she wouldn't have to wait for me to be done, as most things took me longer now. She was completely ready by the time I got out of the bathroom.

Her golden brown hair was pulled up in a sloppy bun on top of her head, her blonde sun streaks standing out against the rest of her hair. She had giant hoop earrings in, and I wondered how they weren't tearing her earlobes. Her greyish blue dress was ruffled and gathered all over, and clung to her body until it stopped at her mid-thighs. It only had one shoulder. She wore white flats with little bows on the toes. She looked perfect.

"You look amazing." I smiled timidly. She beamed back.

"You think? I just got this dress yesterday." She said in thanks, giving a little twirl to show off the back.

"Absolutely." I replied. She leant down and kissed me, swiftly but not too quick. Her deep blue eyes looked into mine for a second, before she straightened up awkwardly.

"What time is it?" She asked curtly, sensing the uncomfortable vibe. I checked my watch.

"12:30, so we should probably get downstairs." I told her, wheeling over to my chiar-o-vator, as Kyra chose to call it.

She helped me into it, and I began to decline slowly down the stairs. Kyra folded up my chair and sauntered down the stairs, meeting me at the bottom. She helped me into the chair, and steered me to the backyard, which was pretty much a huge patio with a bit of grass at the end of it, most of which was occupied by the pond.

We sat by the pond for a long time, feeding the few fish and baby duck that occupied it. Kyra was sitting side-saddle on my lap, which hurt a bit but was okay, since it was Kyra. We chatted for a while, and then Patrice and Evan burst into the yard, totally destroying the peaceful moment with their laughter and talking.

"Hi, guys!" I waved, turning myself around and wheeling toward them. Kyra got up and raced over to Patrice, wrapping her in a girl-hug. She hugged Evan, too, who looked kind of awkward.

Patrice gave me a friendly hug as I finally got over to them. It was hard, using a wheelchair on the grass. Evan casually slugged my arm, and I returned the gesture. We made our way over to the patio table, which was decked out in junk food.

"So how are… things?" Evan asked, gesturing to my wheelchair. Evan didn't really like talking about my disease. He chooses to live in a bit of a fantasy world, where everything is perfect. Sometimes I wish I could live in that world, too. It sure beats Appleton, that's for sure.

"Okay, I guess. They don't really tell me anything. I think I only need it for a few more weeks, and I won't have it for school, which is good." I shrugged. Evan nodded, accepting my answer.

"Yeah." Evan replied, sort of ending the conversation.

"Archie, can you- oh, hi, Evan. Patrice." Mom said awkwardly, just realizing they were there. "Archie, can you come here?"

"Sure. What's up, mom?" I asked, hoping I wasn't in trouble.

"There was a note stuck to the door when I came home. It's got your name on it, so I didn't read it. Any idea who it's from?" She explained, handing it to me. I shook my head 'no'.

"What's up?" Kyra asked, pointing to the note in my lap. I shrugged.

"Someone left this on my door. I don't know who." I told them. Patrice looked a bit worried, like it was an abuse note, or something. Kyra and Evan exchanged a look of curiosity.

"Open it." Kyra coaxed. I tore at the tape that held it together.

"Archie." I read. "We just wanted to say that we're sorry. We've been really awful to you and your friends. We hope you can forgive us. We never had a reason, and we don't want you to hate us anymore. If you don't mind, I was hoping we could all be friends. Not best friends, just friends. P.S. Happy birthday. They all signed it." My confused tone turned into disbelief as I read on.

"Who's they?" Patrice asked, but I had a feeling she had a pretty good idea.

"Brett, Lucy, Kendra, Molly, Simon, Eddie, Cassie, Charlotte, Richie and Malcolm, that's who!" Kyra said happily, snatching the paper from my hands.

"Really?" Evan exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah." Patrice nodded, handing him the paper. He raised his eyebrows at me, not knowing what to say. I showed the palms of my hands, as if I was saying 'it wasn't me'.

"Do you think they mean it?" Kyra pondered suspiciously, obviously sharing the same state of mind as I did.

"I don't know. I would assume so, since they all signed it." I answered. I honestly didn't care. That note meant a lot. Even if they didn't mean it, they still wrote it, which was good enough for me.

"Well, that's good." Kyra grinned. She never really had to deal with their crap, but I guess she was glad she would never have to.

~x~

Once Patrice and Evan cleared out and Kyra had finished her nightly phone calls with Daniel and her mom, she and I stayed up to watch Paranormal Activity 2. I sat on the couch, my wheelchair folded up on the floor beside us. I don't know why it's a horror movie; most of it is just suspense. Kyra screamed a lot, and buried her face in my shoulder.

"Are you afraid its gunna come get you, or what?" I asked her, not knowing what she was screaming so much.

"Shut up, kay?" She glared with a pert smile. Bored of the movie, I started twiddling a piece of her hair between my fingers.

Kyra looked up at me sweetly, and I kissed her, long and hard. The movie was completely obsolete now, as she ran her fingers through my hair. I held her up against me, and she sat straddling my knees. We reluctantly separated, panting for breath.

"I love you." She sighed, as I adjusted so I was sort of sitting up against the armrest of the couch, my legs taking up a few seats. She nestled in beside me, resting her head on my chest.

"I love you, too." I said back, surprised to hear those words come out of my mouth. Kyra was asleep in a few minutes, which means I couldn't get up. Mom was going to kill me.

Kyra had changed me. Before, I was always feeling so alone, watching my friends go out and kiss and stuff. I didn't think I'd ever get to do that. I had always felt so temporary, as if I was just waiting for me to die. I used to be indifferent to that whole idea of dying. Mom would know it was coming, so she'd be able to cope, and Patrice had Evan now, so she'd get over it. For the first time, I realized, I didn't want to die. I didn't want to live half as long as everyone else. I wanted to grow up, get married and have kids. Hell, maybe even hold my grandkids. Before, I thought I might as well just give up on all that; it was never going to happen. Now, I was going to fight for those experiences, whether they're shared with Kyra or not.

_Thank you, Kyra._, I thought as I watched her breathe in unison with me. T_hanks for everything. _

A/N: And that's the end! Okay, now I seriously need name suggestions for the sequel. I'm starting it right away, but I can't post anything until I have a title, so help me out and suggest a title.

I hope that ending wasn't too sappy. I honestly had no idea what this chapter was going to be about, I just wrote it as I went along. I hope it didn't suck! Thanks for being such amazing readers! Your feedback helped so much while I was writing this story, and if it wasn't for such a positive response, I probably wouldn't have finished. This is the first fanfiction I've ever completed, so thank you!


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